From prejudice to reasonable judgement: integrating (moral) value discussions in university courses

The central question addressed in this article is how (moral) values discussions in university courses can be integrated in a systematic way. Discussion of (moral) values is fundamental to the Dublin descriptor about judgement formation in use in European universities. To integrate this descriptor and its (moral) values aspects in university courses, we developed a tool for evaluating academic judgement learning: the Dilemma-Oriented Learning Model. We introduce this model and discuss the way it has been implemented and evaluated in some university courses. We aim for students to develop critical, balanced and responsible judgements. The learning outcomes are used as the basis for the improvement of teaching. We found that our approach can be helpful in integrating the descriptor. However, the (moral) values dimension requires more attention. We intend to go on developing and implementing our approach as a means of integrating reflection on moral values into disciplinary courses. © 2012 Copyright Journal of Moral Education Ltd.